WASHINGTON, D.C.- A devastating Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, has led U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham to strongly criticize countries like India and China for still buying Russian energy. On Thursday, Graham used X, which used to be called Twitter, to say that these oil deals were directly linked to the killings of civilians in Ukraine.
“India, China, Brazil, and others who buy cheap Russian oil to support Putin’s war machine: How do you feel now that your purchases have led to the deaths of innocent people, including children?” Graham wrote. He went on to say that India is “paying the price for backing Putin” and that other countries “will soon too.”
According to Ukrainian officials, Graham’s statements came after a huge airstrike on Kyiv that killed at least 23 people, including children. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this was one of the biggest attacks on the capital since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Many others saw the attack, which also hit diplomatic missions and residential areas, as a blatant rejection of recent efforts to make peace, notably those sponsored by U.S. President Donald Trump. Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, said that Trump was “not happy about this news, but he was also not surprised.” This shows that the two countries are still at odds with one other.
The senator’s words make the already tense U.S.-India relationship even more complicated. The Trump administration’s new 50% duty on a wide range of Indian products went into force just a day before, on Wednesday. India’s choice to keep buying Russian crude oil led to this big rise, which includes an extra 25% levy on top of the 25% that was already in place.
India has defended its position by talking about how important energy security is to its people and how hypocritical other countries are. India’s leaders have said several times that China and certain European countries still do business with Russia in energy and key goods. They also remind the U.S. that the Biden administration had first supported India’s buying of Russian oil to help stabilize the world’s energy markets.
The additional tariffs are a big problem for India’s economy, which relies on exports. The levies are projected to affect about $48.2 billion in exports to the U.S., according to government estimates. Officials have said that the higher taxes could make exports too expensive to be profitable, which could lead to job losses and slower economic growth in important areas like textiles, gems and jewelry, and clothing.